At a public meeting in Dahod during his Gujarat Navsarjan Yatra on October 11, Rahul Gandhi set his gaze on a man who had climbed a branch of a tree in the crowd to wave a huge flag of the Congress. Rahul, who was to speak in minutes, waved at the man , motioning to him to climb down from the precarious perch. Once the man came down, he continued waving the giant flag. Pandit Dinesh Sharma stands out among Rahul’s followers. Sharma, 23, a law graduate from Jind, has been following Rahul across the country since 2011, when he met him during a tour. He walks barefoot and dresses in a costume in Congress colours — saffron turban, green dhoti and a tricolour kurta with the party’s election symbol. Apart from Congress leaders, Sharma is among the few who can skirt restrictions from the Special Protection Group (SPG) as he runs ahead of Rahul’s convoy or rides pillion with party workers. All he wants to do is wave the giant party flag. Sharma says he took a pledge to walk barefoot until he sees Rahul become the prime minister. “I come from a family of Congress followers,” Sharma says. “Rahulji is my idol and I worship him. I think he is not only honest but also a very soft-hearted leader, who empathises with everyone he meets. So, I have vowed to walk barefoot until he becomes PM. He will become that soon,” Sharma tells The Indian Express at one of Rahul’s Navsarjan rallies. Sharma says his father was initially not keen on his decision to follow Rahul, but has now accepted it. “My father had insisted that I must complete my education, so I completed my graduation in law and followed what I love,” he says. “My aim is to spread the message about Rahulji. Whoever talks to me, I tell them that Rahulji is the future of India.” Dinesh says he has spent most of the money he had on his trips. Now, he says, Congress leaders ensure that he is taken care of during rallies.
